Linux Administration Handbook, Second Edition

1.1. Suggested background

We assume in this book that you have a certain amount of Linux or UNIX experience. In particular, you should have a general concept of how Linux looks and feels from the user’s perspective before jumping into administration. Several good books can get you up to speed; see the reading list on page 19.

You perform most administrative tasks by editing configuration files and writing scripts, so you must be familiar with a text editor. To the dismay of many, using Microsoft Word as one’s only text editor is a significant impediment to effective system administration.

We strongly recommend that you learn vi (which is seen most commonly on Linux systems in its rewritten form, vim). It is standard on all UNIX and ...